A Pragmatic Approach to the Problem of Poverty

This article provides a critical review of three contemporary strategies for fighting poverty: (1) reform within the existing public assistance system, (2) a new version of the social demogrant idea as an extension of the social insurance approach, and (3) radical social reform. The author concludes that public assistance reform will bring only modest gains, any form of a guaranteed annual income is unlikely, and radical social reform has little appeal. Themost pragmatic approach, given the current political, economic, and social climate, lies in proposals that fit within the mixed economy of a liberal democratic society and address specific problems.